Four indicted in brothel ring

28043647

Four illegal immigrants were charged Monday with conspiracy to run a prostitution ring in various South Philly locations.

The accused are Jose Claudio Corona Cotonieto; Raymond Gonzalez Salazar, 27; Nicolas Gonzalez Salazar, 31; and Leonel Rubio, 22. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not have an age for Cotonieto nor did they have addresses for the four.

According to the indictment, between August and January the defendants operated brothels out of residential locations, including 1221-A S. Seventh St. and 1314 S. Sixth St.

Cotonieto and Raymond Salazar arranged for and scheduled Hispanic females to travel via bus from New York City to Philadelphia, where they would be picked up by the defendants and taken to one of the locations, then returned to the bus terminal after a week of work, the indictment said. About 60 to 70 women are believed to have been brought in over the six months, generating about $9,000 per week for the alleged operators. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not release how much the women were paid for their services.

Cotonieto and Raymond Salazar are accused of running the brothels and providing in-house and delivery services, where the latter drove the prostitutes to johns, the indictment said. Raymond Salazar also is believed to have handled customer calls for delivery of the women, the indictment said.

Rubio allegedly was a doorman who guarded the whorehouses and controlled customer and prostitute access.

The indictment also stated Cotonieto and Raymond Salazar kept track of customers by having them use tickets or punch cards.

The four men are charged with conspiracy and seven counts of violating the Mann Act, which makes it a federal crime to induce or persuade individuals to travel across state lines to engage in prostitution. Cotonieto and Raymond Salazar also are charged with seven counts of Interstate Transportation in Aid of Racketeering.

If convicted of all charges, Cotonieto and Raymond Salazar each face a possible maximum sentence of 180 years in prison, while Nicolas Salazar and Rubio each face a possible maximum sentence of 145 years. 

Off-duty cop kills alleged robber

A police officer assigned to the South Philly Traffic Unit shot a man he said was trying to rob him Jan. 6 in the Spring Garden section.

Police did not release the name of the officer, but said he was 55 and had 24 years on the job.

The alleged robber was identified as Altariq Hutchinson, 23, from Edgewater Park, N.J., in Burlington County.

At 3:48 a.m., the off-duty officer was driving on the 600 block of Willows Avenue near Spring Garden Street when he braked for a stop sign and was approached on the passenger side of his Nissan by an armed man, Lt. Frank Vanore of the Police Public Affairs Unit said. The male opened the possibly unlocked front door and allegedly used a 9mm semiautomatic to pistol-whip the officer, taking jewelry and an undisclosed amount of money, Vanore said. The officer reached for his department-issue Glock 9mm and fired several rounds, striking the alleged offender in the torso, with Hutchinson allegedly able to squeeze off one round — missing the officer but striking his car, the lieutenant said.

The cop went to Hahnemann University Hospital for minor bruises and cuts to his face. Hutchinson was rushed to the same hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 4:30 a.m.

Investigators recovered a handgun at the scene they believe Hutchinson used in the alleged crime.

As with all police shootings, the officer has been assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of an investigation by Homicide and Internal Affairs. 

Reward offered for missing teen

An Asian teen last seen leaving his house on Christmas Eve is still nowhere to be found weeks later and his family has issued a $10,000 reward for his return. As of press time, there were no new leads in the case.

Jason Vu, 14, of 23rd and Wolf streets, was reported missing at about 7:15 p.m. Dec. 24 by a relative after the discovery of a cryptic, troubling note left by the teen on the family computer, a police source told the Review.

Vu’s father told police his son was last seen leaving the house at about 8 that morning after Vu put his 4-year-old sister in her bedroom, closed the door and said “bye,” to the girl the source said.

Vu, last seen wearing a black-hooded jacket and blue jeans, was described as about 5-foot-4 and 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013 or the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678. 

Scream scares off mugger

A thug who tried to rob an 86-year-old was scared off by her shouting, police said.

The victim was walking to a residence on the 1400 block of South 13th Street from a friend’s house at about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 4 when she was accosted, Detective Danielle Tolliver of South Detective Division said.

The offender stuck an unknown object in the woman’s back and told her to turn over all of her money. Before he had a chance to steal from the senior, the woman’s yelling sent him packing, heading to 13th Street towards Reed.

The victim was unharmed in the attempted robbery and nothing was taken.

The perpetrator was described as black, in his early 20s, about 5-foot-3, 120 pounds, cleanshaven, with a light complexion and in a tan jacket.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013. 

Honoring their own

The 17th Police District Advisory Council (PDAC) will bestow honors on officers they feel have distinguished themselves in the line of duty. The event will honor 24 cops from that district and takes place 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 20 at JNA Institute of Culinary Arts, 1212 S. Broad St.

For more information, contact 17th District PDAC Chairwoman Sylvia Wilkins at 215-735-8075.

28043647